On 28 February 2026, people across the globe will once again come together to mark Rare Disease Day. Coordinated by EURORDIS–Rare Diseases Europe and powered by a growing network of National Alliance partners, patient organisations, families and advocates it is a day built from local action and global solidarity, and it continues to expand year after year.
Rare Disease Day is guided each year by a shared message that connects people of different through different languages, experiences, and journeys. The campaign slogan ‘More Than You Can Imagine’ is both a collective call to action and a powerful reminder: while rare diseases may be individually uncommon, together they touch millions of people worldwide. Behind every diagnosis is a person, a family, a healthcare journey, and a story that too often remains unseen.
The slogan reflects the many dimensions of rarity – more people, more conditions, and more challenges than one might imagine. Rare diseases can be genetic, infectious or environmental in origin, include allergies, or take the form of rare cancers. Their impact reaches far beyond health, work, support, and care. At the same time, the campaign slogan also carries hope: more solidarity, more advocacy, more hope, and more action than one could imagine, driven by patient organisations and communities making Rare Disease Day meaningful in their own local contexts.
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Through this message, Rare Disease Day becomes more than an awareness campaign. It is a movement to make equity for people living with rare diseases a priority in healthcare, research, and society – and to ensure that no one is left behind simply because their condition is rare.
Rare diseases are often described as “rare” – but their impact is anything but. With more than 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, these conditions are part of everyday life in every country and every community. They could impact children who need complex, specialised care from an early age, young people balancing treatment with school and independence, and adults navigating work and family life while managing symptoms that few around them understand.
The Rare Disease Day 2026 campaign highlights these often-unseen realities. It underlines that rare diseases do not only impact health – they shape education, employment, family life, mental wellbeing and social inclusion.
This year, the campaign builds on its longstanding commitment to the future through Raising Youth Voices, a new initiative designed to ensure that young people are included in conversations that will define the next generation of rare disease policy, research, care, and community support.
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As part of this initiative, six chosen regional youth representatives from different regions of the world came together in Barcelona, bringing their lived experience, leadership and determination to the global stage.
Rare Disease Day 2026 takes place at a pivotal moment for Europe – one in which choices made today will shape the future of healthcare for years to come. Across the continent, health systems are under growing pressure: rising demand for care, workforce shortages and the need to modernise services while ensuring long-term sustainability. European priorities are therefore increasingly framed around competitiveness, innovation and resilience – including in health and research. In this evolving landscape, rare diseases are a defining test of whether Europe can deliver care that responds to complexity: providing timely diagnosis, connecting patients to specialised expertise, supporting cross-border collaboration and ensuring holistic care that addresses physical, mental and social needs throughout life.
At the same time, there is genuine policy momentum. The European Parliament’s SANT Committee launched its public consultation at a Rare Disease Day event in 2025; the consultation report, published in November 2025, now feeds into SANT’s own-initiative report on an EU Action Plan expected in summer 2026. The Commission’s Life Sciences Strategy and call for evidence have opened further space for rare-disease priorities, and recent progress on the general pharmaceutical package has created regulatory levers to improve development, access and meaningful patient involvement.
Together, these developments offer a real opportunity to translate awareness into durable change – earlier diagnosis, strengthened cross-border cooperation and health systems built for the complexity of rare conditions – and make Rare Disease Day 2026 a strategic moment to press for delivery.
Rare Disease Day is powered by the rare disease community – people living with a rare disease, families and carers, patient organisations, healthcare professionals, and researchers. Each action, no matter the size, helps make rare diseases more visible and strengthens the call for change.
Here are a few ways you can take part:
As Europe continues to refine its future priorities, Rare Disease Day 2026 is a moment to insist on inclusion – to reaffirm that rare diseases are not a niche concern, but a matter of equity, innovation and competitiveness that will benefit all.
On 28 February 2026, join Rare Disease Day and help turn collective commitment into lasting change.
Your involvement matters. Take part today!